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Abandoned by his prostitute mother in 1920, Douzi was raised by a theater troupe. There he meets Shitou and over the following years the two develop an act entitled, “Farewell My Concubine,” that brings them fame and fortune. When Shitou marries Juxian, Doutzi becomes jealous, the beginnings of the acting duo’s explosive breakup and tragic fall take root.

In 2002, Ju Anqi made a film about a tour by the poet Shu through Xinjiang, the most western-lying, autonomous Uyghur province of China. All that we know about Shu is that he plays a poet who sends himself on a business trip – an absurd, satirical starting point that sets the tone for the film. For a variety of reasons, it was not until 2013 that Ju started editing the rough, lyrical material that he had shot in what is now a very restless Xinjiang: it’s like an excellent wine that has had time to mature. Structured around 16 poems which he wrote on the road, Shu’s physically exhausting journey takes him along endless rocky roads, passing shabby inns and through impressive landscapes from one prostitute to the next. In its documentary authenticity, Poet on a Business Trip is also an historic document that exudes an atmosphere of loss, providing an unsentimental yet melancholy glimpse of a country in transition and a mirror for the existential irreversibility of time. (c) iffr.com

Linking several genres in a surprising and successful way, Yang Lin’s fiction feature debut is an Asian ghost story in which documentary scenes show how incongruous today’s reality can look in China. Protagonist Fang Lei lives in material wealth and only has to care for her daughter. One night, a young mysterious lover appears and makes passionate love to her.

A satirical yet delightful adventure about a village idiot who might just be a prophet, Mr. Tree is the auspicious second feature directed by Han Jie and produced by master filmmaker Jia Zhanke (from tiff.net).

A satirical yet delightful adventure about a village idiot who might just be a prophet, Mr. Tree is the auspicious second feature directed by Han Jie and produced by master filmmaker Jia Zhanke (from tiff.net).

In early Republican China, rumors were going around about the treasure in Wudang Mountain. An American conspirator took his well-trained kung fu daughter to Wudang by sponsoring a Taoist martial arts competition, to steal the treasure. Out of expectation, a disciple represented Wudang to compete with other martial arts masters for the championship. During the competition, resentment incurred against different parties, the relationship became complicated, a Korean female Tai Chi descendant fell in love with the American conspirator and the secret of the treasure had been revealed. The treasure is the key of the magnetic field of Wudang, if it’s stolen, Wudang would be devastated. To protect Wudang, a group of young heroes rallied around to defeat grant masters. It’s the time the long-lost Wudang martial arts returned

Yu-Siang is blind – but he has a superb sense of hearing. Born in rural Taiwan, this extremely talented musician moves to the capital Taipei to study the piano. But how will he manage on his own? Even the walk across campus from his halls of residence poses a challenge and he must learn how to make the trip step by step. Yu-Siang began winning awards for his piano playing as a young boy but he once overheard somebody saying he only won because of his blindness. Since then he has avoided public competitions – in spite of his teachers’ encouragement. Yu-Siang is not interested in recognition: to him his musical development is more important. One day he meets a young woman working in a snack bar. She dreams of becoming a dancer. The encounter proves to be a turning point for both of them.

The taciturn police commander Zhang leads an undercover drugs team and in his continuous battle against the ubiquitous drug barons, takes up arms against his arch enemy, Timmy Choi. When he gets hold of Choi, he makes a deal with him: in exchange for his life (in China you can get the death penalty for producing only 50 grams of drugs) the young criminal will help the police infiltrate a sizeable drug network.